Woman claims service dog’s head was caught in light rail train door

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LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A disabled woman from Green Valley Ranch reached out to the FOX31 Denver Problem Solvers after she claims her service dog’s head got stuck in a light rail train when they both tried to exit it.

Belinda Williams said it happened at the Sheridan stop in Lakewood on Sunday afternoon.

“We started to get off. He got his head through the door and it just closed,” Williams said.

Williams alleges her dog Gaylen’s head was caught in the doors up to his ears. She said passengers tried hitting the emergency button, while she tried to pull her dog’s head back in.

“I was just doing all I could to get his head out,” Williams said.

The situation went on for about a mile, Williams said until she was able to get her dog’s head out of the door just before the Wadsworth stop.

“It’s going to take a lot of work to overcome that fear,” she said.

The dog survived the incident. Williams said she left a message with RTD on Monday morning.

An RTD spokesman said security footage from outside the Sheridan stop was reviewed but showed no signs of a situation. RTD won’t be able to check the security camera from inside the train until Tuesday.

The spokesman also said the door stops on the train have very sensitive edges and are checked for issues every three weeks. He said nothing should have been allowed to get caught in the doors.

As for the emergency button, RTD described it being like a flight attendant call button. It allows the operator to know there’s an issue on the train, but the issue doesn’t get addressed until the next stop.

RTD said it will have to rely on the interior train surveillance footage to see what happened. The spokesman said if there is a malfunctioning issue, it will be fixed.